TheDarkness
by LuisRamses
Summary: takes place after OoT, Hyrule is in the fledgeling stages of an industrial revolution. Progress and prosperity ensue. But unkown to the people, such progress has consequences...
1. Prologue: Throes of Revolution

Writing As: Ramses

Dark Link: Prologue

"I'll walk where I please, thank you very much. "Alissen tossed her head back, her matted hair flipping like a whip. Dolen stood plenty of feet back, his hands over his nose, and shot her an angry glare.

"Ugh. How can you just walk through that stuff, girl? It's... it's disgusting!" He stamped his foot--on the grass, where the filth wouldn't touch his new boots.

"Oh! It is, is it?" She said, a sly grin crossing her face. "Well, I think," she said, and began to roll around in the sticky mess, twigs and mud and dead bugs getting caught in the fibers of her dress, clinging to her skin, entering her mouth, "it's fun."

"Oh my god! Alissen! Stop that!"

"Go back to mommie's cottage!"

The two children shot back and forth, one angry and disgusted, the other delighting in the damage she was causing. The polluted remains of Lake hylia were just below, and allisen was actually rolling around in the waste from the butcher house that stood atop the rim, next to the flow of water from gerudo valley. She found the stench intoxicating, and breathed it in, only getting slightly high. Meanwhile, Dolen stomped off, muttering under his breath about sick habits and such.

A little while later, Dolen found himself far along the edge of lake hylia. His sister far away, in place and in mind, and instead his immediate surroundings were the weedy sludge of the lake, of which he kept his distance, of course. Dolen sat along a small peak, overlooking the lake. Over there, the bank to the far left and across the lake, that was where he and his father would fish. They would sit patiently along the edges of the lake, Dolen would listen to the stories of the desert from his father--his father was a trader--and of the three goddesses that created the earth and all the creatures in it.

Dolen picked up a rock, flung it into the lake. "Hmph. Liar." he said, before looking down to see a scuff of mud on his new boots. "Oh no!" He hopped around on the grass, scraping the junk off on the grass, and then realizing there was mud on his pants and shirt as well. He lost his balance and rolled down the hill, falling into the toxic waste dump that was known as lake hylia. "Ugh... I hate this place." He muttered, wiping the sting from his eyes, but as he did, he noticed something.

From where he was in the lake, he was right under the bridge that led to the center island, but not quite under it, and he could see the third island off to the left. But the water looked different somehow in the center. Darker. And redder, it seemed. Dolen walked along the bottom, coming up sometimes for air, until his hair was sticky and matted, and his eyes did sting. And then it hit him.

Feathers. grime-covered feathers littered the center of the lake. There was something there. Dolen shook. He extended his hand into the water. A gaint bird-like creature lay, it's pink swollen flesh molting into the water, as blood and puss oozed out of its skin. Dolen was walking on it, it was the island, it was... it was dead. And imprinted onto it's forehead was the mark, the mark that made it a guardian of hyrule.

The people called him Link, and Link he was. He walked through the twisting maze of Hyrule castle town, his head slumped forward and his hands buried underneath a long green cloak. He possessed a steady gate, walked as one who knew where he was going, and it was to the heart of power.

The city streets were littered with the common filth this time of day, shameless orphans that were unsuitable for work, due to their limbs being ripped off in one of the mills. The older urchins watched from the alleyways, just watching, thinking they should maybe let this one go after a glimpse of the hilt of his sword. A couple of prostitutes rounded the corner. Their nipples perked up just at the sight of someone of status, and the young man wasn't too bad, either.

"Evening, traveler. Want to have some fun?" They said, almost in unison and in the perky, lovely voices that only the best of prostitutes have. Link kept silent, watching them from beneath his hood. He turned slightly as he passed them by. Then, in an instant, flicked a red rupee in their direction. It landed in the muddy gutter.

"Buy yourself a face." Was all he said. It was enough--he was already at the inner castle wall.

Two guards, resplendent in their armor, stood side by side at the inner city gate. They had thick, coarse beards, and equally thick and coarse voices, and as link approched they did not speak, but only watched him with world-weary eyes.

"Hold." The guard on the right. He held out the palm of his hand, well gloved and leathered, in a quick, curt motion. Link did as he was told, and reached his hands up to pull down the hood on his cloak, revealing a pale face and dirty blonde hair, as well as sea blue eyes. "Papers?" The left guard held out his hand, and spoke in a gruff voice.

"Sorry. I do not have papers." was all that link said as he shuffled his arms under the cloth of his cloak. "Don't worry. I have this." he said, and reached into a large pouch that hung by his side. He pulled out a severed head.

"Holy--!" The two guards jumped back, their hands on the hilts of their swords, but link held up his hands, motioning them to peace. The two of them looked at each other, sizing up at a moments glance whether they should listen or kill. The answer was kill.

The first guard slid his sword out of it's scabbard and swung down. Link stepped aside, stabbed the man under his armpit. The second came in from the side, swinging his sword lengthwise. Link stepped close and, pulling his sword out, cracked the man's head with the hilt of his sword.

Things were not going well, though, as the altercation atracted the attention of some guards going down a patrol route. Soon the street turned into a brawl, with shouts of "kill you!" and "get off!" filling the air. The urchins looked on in awe, as the young blonde one slashed and jabbed his way through the mass of guards, until he killed six men and stood hunched over, his hands dangling from his sides, his tattered cloak splattered with blood.

Three men were left, the cowards, no doubt. Link seethed for air, his body heaving up and down as he breathed, and the three guards glanced for one to the other, each hoping the other would go first.

"Damn you." Link winced; he had suffered a flesh wound on his right leg. Worse, it was in a pointless fight that could have been avoided. He slid his glance over to the severed head; why hadn't it worked? The old hermit up on death mountain, he had given link the necessary powders and magics. But either way, this was not good. Then Link felt a crack on the back of his skull, and everything went dark.

The hylian warrior, Link, awoke to the sound of a man's voice:

"You should have just sent for me, you know. Getting into a fight with those idiots, reckless." Still groggy, link moved his head. He was laying in a bed, but the matress was not made of straw, as it would have been in an inn. It was quite comfortable, actually. He was in a small bedroom, lit from the outside by a stone window; a bitter cold wind blew in from the window. He must be up high. Then he saw the desk, and the man seated upon it; he was right where he needed to be.

"You'll find the new captain of the guards to be well trained, Link. He spent some time with warriors in the east. Honestly, boy, why did you do it?" The king's cousin spoke. Jacobin was one of the most powerful men in the hyrulean states, he had connections, which was why Link was waking up in a bed instead of a dank dungeon cellar.

"..." Link picked himself up and placed his legs firmly on the stone floor. Then, getting up, walked up to the window and felt the cold air sting his eyes. "I was careless."

"Indeed you were. Link, you saved the Kingdom from that Ganondorf fellow when you were just a mere child. And admirable feat, if I do say so myself, but you still can't just walk into the inner city gates anymore. The kingdom is advancing rapidly into a modern age. Have you heard of the new textile mills we've set up by the waterflow outside of zora's domain?" Jacobin said all this as he pulled out a sheet of parchment and began to write, but he expected Link's response nonetheless. And yet, Link looked out of the window to the great expanse of the land. He could see the borders of Hyrule Capital, and the great stretches of the desert off to the southwest.

"..." Link looked out to the east, past zora's domain to the tip of death mountain in the distance. Surveying the land, he could tell; Hyrule was industrializing. The people were using machines to do quickly what took them long. And Zora's Domain was at the center of it all, with the ever flowing water source that kept the machines running. "Hyrule is rotting."

He turned back to Jacobin, "You wish me to go to zora's domain?" Jacobin nodded in the affirmative.

"We have not had word from the zoras in months. Our envoys have not returned. You are to find out what has happened there. Things might get dangerous, so I've readed a comrade to join you."

"Who?" Jacobin was hunched over, furiously writing something on that parchment. Once finished, however, he handed it to Link.

"Why, the captain of the guards, of course." Link winced.


	2. The sending off

Darkness -- Writing As: Luis Ramses

Link and the captain of the guards left Hyrule Capital under cover of nightfall, so as to lessen the prospect of being seen. Traveling light, and with no horses, they walked for several hours, until Link signaled to stop.

"We'd best keep on moving, Link, now's not the time to be setting up the camp." Link kneeled down by a tree, and brushed some dirt aside. Water bubbled up to the surface, and he filled his cantine. The stars of the night glimmered softly.

"Change in course, Captain." Link sealed his cantine, got back up. "I'm off to see an old friend." The captain's chocolate brown eyes narrowed down to slits. His body tensed. Link seemed not to notice, however, and turned his back.

"Fraid I can't let you do that, chum. We have a mission to fulfill." The captain placed his hand on link's shoulder, his other hand on the hilt of his sword.

"We'll still fulfill it. I need to see my friend first." Link shook of the hand and kept walking. Then: "You're welcome to come along. It's nothing seedy."

"Hmph. They told me It'd be difficult working with you. What's to stop me from knocking you over the head right now, like I did back there at the inner gate?"

The two of them stood still, the captain wary of any movement, and Link the picture of repose, and throughout the forest an eerie wind moved, setting the trees to creak and groan. The sounds of leaves rustling and cackling hyenas, as well as an owl's hoot, and the crackle in the air, carried it's way to them. It was a deafening silence.

Then link turned, his light blue eyes locking with the captain. "Do you have a lover, friend?" Link opened his pouch and bit off a piece of jerky.

Stunned, the Captain took a step back; he stared at the dirty blonde. He looked at his pale skin and blue eyes, and his lean physique, as well as his soft lips. "What kind of question is that? Link smirked.

"You need to get one." The captain's eyes opened wide, and he let out a bowling round of laughter, shaking his head and dropping his hand to his side. This guy, he was a strange one, but it was nice to know he had a sense of humor. And thinking back to what was said in the briefing room, it might actually be better to dawdle a bit before heading to the domain. Who knew? It could be their last adventure.

"All right, smart-alek. You win. It's not like we're getting paid for a good job, anyway. So where we headed, good sir? It better not be to a gambling den." The captain of the guards seized the opportunity and folded his arms across his chest, puffing it out to show just how big he was. Link chuckled as well.

"Lon Lon Ranching Company."

Lon Lon Ranch had changed in the last seven years. With the boom of investment from wealthy noblemen and the patronage of gerudo riders, the place had become a city of stables and more stables, of horse races and more horse races, as well as the largest producer of Beef in Hyrule, never mind milk.

Inside Stable E, there was a nervous atmosphere held about. The horses paced back and forth in their stalls, dimly aware in the wee hours of the morning. Some of the horses pulled on their ropes, anticpating something exciting. The stable was filled with the slow munching of hay, and the cluck of chickens socializing in their chicken way, but overall, the entire place stood at attention. The countdown began, from five to four to three to one and...

A loud ringing shattered the stillness, and the stable doors slid wide open on mechanized locks, and a loud voice paid its dues. "BREAKFAST!" A tall, pimpled youth began pouring the oats into the feeders; the stuff whooshed down the tubes, powered by heat driven vacuum, and the many horses went wild with excitement. They eagerly shoved their mouths in, crunching on the healthy, nutritious oats.

There was one horse, however, that was not so eager to eat. In the third last stall, an old mare with a fiery red coat lay down on a pile of hey, resting it's head so simply on it's blanket. The youth who was in charge of this stable went down the lines of stalls, patting some horses down, calling out to some of his favorites and the like. Then he got to the third last stall and stopped.

"Well, how you doing, old girl? Looks like its another day of rest and relaxation, for you. He held his hand out through the metal crossbars, and the old mare decided to take a simple sniff. "Heh, I see that, girl. Of course you don't like much being here. It must be the rocks getting older, and not being able to run. But don't give up yet, ol' girl. We've got a suprise for you today."

Suprise. That word registered into the horses brain, and suddenly it got up to it's feet, rushing to the front of the stall. The youth turned and called out to someone:

"Here she is, Mr. Link, I found her for ya." The horse cried out, whinnying like crazy to beckon the person forward. Its memory was dim, for sure, but somewhere she remembered, like all mares are apt to do, that one thing in her life that was still precious, and the soft footsteps approached from the side of the lane, and Epona stomped her feet in impatience.

"So that's the famous horse." The captain of the guards said. The horse bucked out of joy when it saw, and its memory was refreshed, an old friend. Link was there. "Epona..."

Link stood back a few feet, his body weight firmly planted in the stable floor, his arms akimbo. The horse stuck it's head out, beckoning him to come closer. There was excitement in the stalls now, the other horses stuck their heads out as well, looking for the source of the commotion.

Link stayed where he was. His blue eyes, they took in every part of her, moved over her entire physique. But he stayed where he was. Their two eyes met. And met again. But link stayed where he was.

"She looks like she's in love with you, Link." The captain saw the scene. "I may not know much about women, but I know the look of a horses eyes when they see the one they've chosen." He said, and turning towards link, slapped him on the shoulder. "This is the horse that chose you. I'll be waiting at the main house. Have fun, loverboy." The captain said, Guffawing as he left the stable door.

Link stayed there for a while, then motioned for the others to come forward. Three strong men unlocked the stable bolts. Epona didn't even wait for the gate to be opened. She burst foward, her old frame suddenly renewed with youthful vigor. Moving forward, she did, until her snout was mere inches from her face. The two friends' eyes met, their gaze staying together for the longest of time.

And slowly, but surely, Link raised his hand from the pocket in his cloak, and patted her on her cheek, just like so many years ago, when she had first come to him.

"Is this the one?" A fourth strong man walked up to them.

"Yes."

A rope suddenly flew over Epona's neck; she turned to looked at the men. Two more ropes flew, landing in various parts of her. The ropes pulled tight. Epona began to panic as the ropes tried to pull her away from Link. She jerked back to him. He met her gaze. The ropes tightened further. Again she jerked. Her eyes pleaded, questioned. Then the men grabbed her. They pushed her away from her master. She tried to buck them. They grabbed her again. She whinnied, cried out for her beloved. The men shocked her. They shocked her again.

Link stood still. He watched as the men dragged and prodded the horse away from him, the one horse he had known all these years, who he had fed carrots and oats, and occasionally a sweet apple. As the men loaded her onto the wagon, kicking and screaming like hell, he whispered,

"Goodbye, old friend."

"One large Clydesdale, fit for fifteen pounds of glue, eh--lesee here..." The strong man came back, working out the figures on his fingers, like an abacus. "Hmm... turns out it'll go for two thousand rupees. We have a deal?"

"Is she loaded on the cart?"

"hehe, okay, wiseguy. I'll take that as a 'yes'. Where should I deposit the funds, eh?"

Link stuck his hand in his pouch, returned it with a piece of parchment neatly folded in his hand. "This institution, the Gibbons and Merton banking company."

"Will do." Was all the man said, and he and the others left in one of those new machines that only corporations such as glue companies could have. They called them "automobiles" which was fine with Link. He didn't see much competition with horses anyway. The world would always need horses. That was a fact.

"You done with your meet an' green with that fine horse of yours?" The captain of the guards was having breakfast in the main house, courtesy of the cook, who was an old veteran of some tribal skirmish or whatever. Breakfast was on the house. "Mm-mmm! The best liver and heart I've had. That guy can really cook." he said as he lapped up the last of the nutritious, marrowy juice.

Link was silent, but his eyes told the Captain it was time they had better go. The captain was half a mind to pester him about this mood swing. But he let it go. The two of them left for zora's domain, with link silently enduring the Captain's talk of horses and friends.


End file.
